Still Love You The Same
by Sorasgirl333
Summary: Time is going by so much faster than I and I’m starting to regret not spending all of it with you- now I’m wondering why I’ve kept this bottled inside… double shot
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Still Love You the Same

**Author**: Sorasgirl333

**Summary**: Time is going by so much faster than I and I'm starting to regret not spending all of it with you- now I'm wondering why I've kept this bottled inside…

**Disclaimer**: Kingdom Hearts not mine, Nickelbacks song "Never Gonna Be Alone" isn't mine nor is "Call Me" by Shinedown or "Life After You" by Daughtry. Idea is mainly mine- it was inspired by the "Never Gonna Be Alone" music video. Limited usage of lyrics are credited to the bands.

**Authors Note**: This was one of those needs for inspiration with a sudden slap to the face of ideas lol. Took a while to get something out of me that seemed worth while. Yay for a double shot! Thanks Nickelback!

**x.o.x.o.x.o.x**

_You're invited to a very special day_.

_A day to join two people as one_.

_A true ceremony of love_.

**x.o.x.o.x.o.x**

"Sora, please quiet down for a moment." My teacher, Miss Kramer, had just told me. I hurried and sat down in my seat near the front row of the classroom. Riku, who was sitting diagonally across from me, threw a paper ball at my head. I turned around and glared. "Riku! Please!" Miss Kramer cleared her throat to keep her composure. "Class, please welcome Kairi to our third grade classroom."

We stared at the door to see this short little girl come into class. She was wearing some white dress and a pink bag on her back that was way too big for her. Kairi looked kind of scared to be in front of all of us. Some of the other kids said their hellos but none of us really seemed to care too much about having someone new. Kairi walked over to the empty seat near mine and sat down. She kept her head low and didn't make any eye contact the rest of class.

During recess, Kairi sat against the wall by herself looking at everyone else playing. Riku and I were by the swings looking at her. "Go talk to her." Riku said shoving me.

I glared at him, "no, you!"

"Okay, let's go." Riku began to walk toward her and I hurried to catch up. I didn't think he actually meant it. As soon as we got closer, she looked up at us with a shocked face. "Kairi, right?" Riku asked.

"Y-yeah." She replied quietly.

"I'm Riku, and this is Sora." He patted me on the back lightly. I smiled at her and she slowly smiled back at us.

It didn't take long for her to get used to us. We all hung out at recess and ate our lunches together. Riku had a habit of pulling her hair and blaming me which caused her to scream at me quite often. That was the one part I never missed about elementary school.

After some time together and becoming better friends, Kairi and I spent more time together. "Sora, let's play house." She smiled at me. I stared at her wondering what in the world made her think I would want to play a girl game with a girl. She handed over her doll, "you can be the daddy."

"Are you the mommy?" I asked staring at the doll in disbelief.

"Of course I am!" She grinned.

"Well, aren't mommy's and daddy's supposed to get married or something?"

Kairi looked around before looking back at me. "Let's get married Sora. You know it's going to happen sooner or later." I felt my eyes widen which caused her to laugh. "Come on, Riku is waiting for us."

_x.o.x.o.x_

Middle school was a slightly different story…

Being fourteen in the eight grade and starting to realize the opposite sex as something other than a cootie covered kid made me see Kairi in a whole new light. Riku, Kairi, and I were spending time together nearly every waking moment.

"Can we go to the mall?" Kairi fluttered her eyes sweetly at Riku, who at this point was old enough to have his permit yet not drive without supervision- but did it anyway. Kairi and I had to rely on him for our travels since we actually trusted him with our lives in a car. Riku stared at her raising an eyebrow. She smiled innocently at him. I stared at Kairi in awe. I never realized how beautiful she was… Her auburn hair was so soft and shiny, her amethyst-colored eyes lit up when she smiled, her skin looked like it was constantly glowing, and she had a body that looked like it belonged to a seventeen-year-old. I suddenly felt hot.

"Why do you want to go the mall?" Riku asked once we stepped out of the bus.

Kairi walked over to Riku's black sports car that his parents had bought him and she ran her finger tips along the hood. "Oh, you know… to go shopping."

"More like hunt out boys or something." Our older, silver-haired friend said casually as he opened the backseat door to toss his books inside. I leaned against the car to see what Kairi had to say.

"I was actually thinking about going to pick out swimsuits for the summer." I saw her face turn red and I definitely felt mine turn red as well. I quickly looked away but I felt Riku staring at me. I saw him smirking at me from the corner of my eye.

"Okay, let's go then." Riku got into the drivers seat and Kairi walked over to the passenger side while I opened the back door. She smiled at me and bit her lip softly before climbing in. I don't know what this girl was doing to me but I was pretty sure she was doing it on purpose.

Upon arriving at the mall, we walked into a swimwear store… at least Kairi and I did; Riku disappeared to go talk to some girls who waved at him. "Thank you for coming with me, Sora." Kairi said skimming through racks of two piece swimsuits.

I looked around to see if I could keep my mind off Kairi in a bikini. "Anytime, Kai."

"Once I pick some out, I want you to help me decide on what to buy, okay?"

"All right." I nodded feeling good that she wanted me to help pick out her swimsuit. It wasn't long until she grabbed about five pairs. "Okay, well I like this one." I said pointing to a pink one with black polka-dots.

"No, wait." Kairi said shaking her head. "I need to try them on. You need to help me pick out which one looks better on."

My jaw dropped internally. I tried not to look too obvious at how shocked I was. "Wait, what did you say?" I asked just to make sure I heard her right. I looked around to see quite a few guys and some other girls in the store.

"Come on!" She pulled on my hand and drug me over to the fitting room.

I grabbed onto her hand and pulled her just a few inches away from me. "Wait." I realized how close we were and suddenly how badly I was falling for her. "Isn't this the kind of thing that people in relationships do?" I know it's one of those things that the guy is supposed to let happen but for some reason, I just felt protective and I didn't want anyone else seeing her nearly exposed.

Kairi brushed her hand against my cheek. "We're best friends. You're eventually going to see me in one of these with summer coming up." She had a point and by then there would be so many guys and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. "And besides… we're getting married someday, remember? You'll eventually see me with less on." A smirk appeared on her face as she disappeared behind a fitting room door.

I thought I was going to pass out…

_x.o.x.o.x_

Freshman year was calling out to us. Kairi and I spent more one on one time together. We spent most of our last summer days out on the beach in the evenings when people would start to pack up and head back home.

"Sora, what do you think is going to happen after high school?" Kairi asked leaning back onto the towel she brought with her. I looked back at her, who wore the blue with silver stripped bikini that I had picked out for her, then back at the setting sun. It was quiet except for the steady waves crashing against the sand and pulling back what it could grab.

I pondered her question before replying, "More than likely a lot that we aren't going to expect."

She sighed behind me. "Are you scared?"

"Kind of." I leaned back and stared at the full moon that shined above us. "Are you?"

"Kind of." Kairi leaned into me a bit. "Sora?"

"Hum?"

"Thank you for being a friend." She replied. I flinched a bit at those words. I was more than positive that I really liked this girl and to think that she only thought of me being her friend stung.

"You're welcome Kairi." I sat back up and traced my fingers in the sand.

Kairi leaned forward to sit with me. "I meant thank you for being my first real friend. It meant a lot that you and Riku didn't pick on me when we all first met." She leaned forward a bit more to smile at me. I looked out of the corner of my eye and smirked back at her.

"Even though we were nice to you, we still thought you were infested with cooties." I replied.

Her mouth formed a perfect 'O' as she gasped and lightly hit my arm. "Like I didn't think that of you two." We both laughed. "I'm really glad we're still so close."

"Me too, Kai." I looked back at the ocean with a sigh.

"You remember our promise, right?" I heard her say.

I was slightly confused. We had made a lot of promises, like to stay friends forever, to always have secrets that only were shared between the two of us, to let each other know every important detail of our lives first before sharing them with anyone else- there were a lot of promises to pick from. "Which one?" I turned to look at her only to see her face just inches away from mine.

Her eyes closed instantly and before I realized it, her lips were on mine. Our first kiss was with each other. It was short and simple but it was a great first. She broke away slowly and smiled. "We're meant to be- we're going to get married."

I smiled at her as I placed my forehead against hers. That wasn't the last time we kissed.

_x.o.x.o.x_

"Only a month left until we graduate from high school and become adults." Riku said looking at the last pile of homework we just received.

"Thank goodness!" Kairi sighed as we all sat down at a table after school. I leaned over and wrapped my arm over Kairi's shoulders. She looked up at me and smiled.

"It's kind of sad though, don't you think?" I asked looking around the campus.

Riku sighed. "Don't tell me you're going to get all sappy on us here."

I shook my head with a small smile. "Nah, I'm just saying that things are going to be so different after high school."

"Aren't they supposed to be?" Riku asked.

"No, I get what he's saying." Kairi spoke up. We both looked at her. "He means that after high school we have this expectation for life to be set out for us just like it always has been in school. It's what we know and so the thought of not having a set path like we've always had is kind of scary. We don't know what's going to happen after we graduate. We know we all want to go to college and have our high school lives carry on like nothing happened but we all know deep down that things are going to change." Her warm blue eyes looked at me as she grasped onto my hand. "Is that what you meant?"

"Yeah, it is." I smiled kissing her on the forehead.

"So, when are you two getting married?" Namine, Kairi's best friend, joined us at the table with our other friend, Roxas.

Kairi smiled, "after we graduate from college."

We had been together since the summer before freshman year. Everything had been planned out for our wedding as the years went by with Kairi's constant prediction of our wedding day. The color theme was going to be dark blue, my favorite color, and purple being hers. Riku would be my Best Man, Roxas, Tidus, and Wakka would be the groomsmen. Kairi picked Namine to be her Maid of Honor with Selphie and Xion as her bridesmaids. She said she planned to pick out her third bridesmaid out in college.

We planned to go to the local University when college became an issue. We all applied to it and applied to other colleges of choice as a 'just in case'. Fate apparently had other plans though. I was going in for a business degree and Riku decided to go for a sports major; we got into the college we planned to attend. Kairi, an aspiring nurse, received a fully paid scholarship to a University seven hours away… by plane. She was leaving in a month to get settled in and a find a job.

Our graduation of 2006 was perfect. The weather was ideal- sunny and warm. The day that Kairi left for the airport, two weeks later, was the opposite- rainy and cold… almost as if the world suddenly stopped and felt what we felt. Kairi couldn't stop crying and I nearly broke down, too. I knew that it would only be temporary and that's where I kept my strength and motivation.

It was a lot harder than I thought. The first couple months, we called everyday, sometimes twice. After that, the calls weren't as often as they started, which was due to school. Slowly, things started to change and we grew apart. I always told her that I loved her and that it would never change. She agreed and I could tell in her voice that she meant it. Even though it was apparent to everyone that our love would never fade, we knew what was coming regardless.

_o.x.o.x.o_

"Hey baby," I said into her voicemail as I drove to the beach where we had made it official. "It's been a couple days since I heard from you. Just checking up to make sure you're alright and that school is going well. I finally got some down time, so I'm heading to our spot. I miss and I love you, Kairi." I sighed as I hung up the phone. I pulled into the parking lot and sat in the car to admire the scenery.

The phone started to ring. I looked at it for a second to realize that Kairi was waiting for me to answer. Things had changed so much and I wasn't sure what to make of our situation anymore- it was hurting me.

"Hey, Kai." I said as I finally answered.

"Hey," she sounded as if she was nearly out of breath. "Sorry I missed your call. I'm trying to hurry and get ready to hang out with some of my friends. We're having a girl's night out."

"Oh." I replied quietly. "Sounds fun."

"How are you?"

"I'm doing alright. Just tired but glad that I finally got a day off from work and school to just visit the beach." It was nearing the end of the first year of college already and with finals right around the corner, everything seemed to weigh me down.

"I miss the beach." Kairi said. "I miss you too."

"I miss you, Kai." I looked at the sky as I leaned against the steering wheel. We stayed silent for quite a while as I heard her continue to get ready through the line. It used to be non stop talking, there was always something to say, but now I wasn't sure if we really knew the other one anymore. I turned up the volume as I heard "Life After You" by Daughtry playing.

"What's happened to us?" Kairi nearly whispered to me as though she heard the deep withheld meaning that the song had.

I swallowed quickly. "What?"

"Sora, what's happened to us?" She said slowly but not much louder. "Things have changed that much, huh?" I felt like she was reading my mind.

"Whatever it is, I wish it would go away." I replied to her feeling the slow sting of heartbreak coming on.

"Me too…" All of her background noise ceased.

"Maybe…" I sighed trying hard to stay focused enough not to break down over the phone. "Maybe being far away for this long isn't what's best for us."

"Yeah…" I heard her sniffle. "I didn't want this to happen to us, Sora."

"I know, me either. But maybe this is what's really meant to be…" My breathes were getting caught in my chest as I tried to keep my composure. "Kairi, I think this is where we officially go our separate ways…"

It was silent except for her muffled cries. Tears slid down my face but I held my breath to stay quiet. I hated this. "I love you." She said softly.

"I love you too…" I heard a beep and I looked down to see that our call had ended.

After nearly five years together, we called it off. That was where I had finally hit my downfall. My first year of college was hard but knowing that Kairi wasn't apart of the future nearly killed me. We still kept in contact and stayed decently close. It was when we agreed to start seeing other people is when it started leaving me feeling empty.

We kept on moving though. We stayed friends, but it was as distant as we were physically. It was once in a blue moon that we would end up talking. The summer before our junior year of college was when I learned that Kairi had a boyfriend.

His name was Squall and he was everything she seems to need. She said he was tall, mysterious, handsome, mature, and he's always there for her. It was nice to hear that there was someone looking out for her. She seemed happy and I felt heart broken. Riku told me that I needed to move on but we all knew that I'd still love her the same.

I tried to go out on dates. I spent time with girls who I thought would fit me fairly well. It felt like it was working for the most part, but it wasn't until whoever I was with brought up something about making it official, going to their house for some time alone, or brought up anything that was supposed to bring us "closer"- that only pushed me further away and made me miss Kairi. She was my first and only love, the only person I made it official with, the only one I would spend some alone time with at our houses, and the only person I wanted to be close to. She was the one I was going to marry.

It was the summer after graduation… things had finally changed for good.

"You're invited to a very special day. A day to join two people as one. A true ceremony of love. On July 10, 2010, please join us to celebrate the wedding of Kairi Hikari and Squall Leonhart." I read allowed to Riku, who was my roommate.

"Wow…" He said looking up from the couch. I let myself fall back next to him. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know." I said staring off through the window as I let the invite hang loosely in my hand. I never imagined by age 23 to be sitting with Riku, getting an invite to Kairi's wedding to someone other than me. "I still love her…"

I swallowed down my pride and let some tears fall. Riku gave me a couple reassuring pats to the back. He took the invite and moved it to the coffee table, before turning on the television in hopes to drown out my mind. It didn't work.

_x._o_.x._o_.x._

It was only a week and a half until the wedding. Kairi was coming back home tomorrow to help with the finishing plans. She managed to get a hold of Riku while I was out. I only knew this because when I arrived home, I saw him mouth "Kairi" to me and point to the phone he was talking on. I gave him a small nod to acknowledge that I understood before walking past him toward my bedroom.

"Hey, Sora!" Riku called to me from the living room. I could hear him coming down the hall. He stood in the doorway. "Kairi wants to catch up with you."

"Huh?" I was staring at a picture of Riku, Kairi, and myself at our high school graduation.

"Kairi will be in town tomorrow morning. She wants to meet up with you for coffee a little later." He was smirking.

Kairi wants to see me again? Oh god. "Sora, chill out." Riku laughed.

I looked at him quickly. "How do you know that I'm freaking out?"

"I've known you for twenty years." This was true. We're more like brothers than best friends. "Why are you freaking out so bad, anyway?"

I sat at the edge of my bed. "Kairi and Squall have been together for two years. Kairi and I were together for almost five. What if we go and it's her dream wedding? I wasn't meant to go to her wedding unless I was part of it."

Riku walked in and sat next to me. "I know you're hurt by Kairi marrying someone. You love her, don't you?" I nodded while I stared at the carpet. "Well, I know it's hard to hear it, but you really need to let Kairi be happy. At least that's what it sounds like when we just talked. Just go meet up with her tomorrow and be there for her, be there for her like you always have." I knew Riku was right but I knew it was going to be hard. Things were always going to change- there was never a set path.

It was two in the afternoon and Kairi was officially back in town with her fiancé. I sat waiting at the Starbucks that we used to hang out at. My legs kept bouncing from the floor as I awaited her arrival. I stared at my phone- torn between wanting her to call to cancel, and it just never ringing and hearing from her.

The automatic doors slid open. Kairi, who was wearing a thin sweater and ripped jeans, walked in looking around. This was the first time I had seen her since the night she left. She looked almost the exact same except she obviously looked older. Kairi still left me in awe.

Her eyes finally met mine. A radiant smile brightened her entire being. "Sora!" She called out excitedly. I stood up with a faint smile and she ran over to me, nearly knocking me over with a hug. "Oh my god, I've missed you…" she whispered into my shoulder.

I tightened my grip, inhaling her sweet strawberry scent. "I've missed you too, Kai."

She let go and sat down next to me with a smile still plastered to her face. I sat down too and nudged over a caramel latte- her favorite.

"You remembered!" she seemed so happy. I smiled softly as I admired her. "So, fill me in. It's been forever and I feel like so much has changed."

We have, apparently… "Well, obviously, we've just graduated. I did earn my bachelors in business and Riku minored business and got a bachelors in political science. We share an apartment near the campus. I still work at the insurance company."

"Sounds nice," she smiled. "I thought Riku wanted a sports degree?" Kairi asked taking a drink of her latte.

"He changed his mind."

"Oh." She nodded.

"What about you?"

"Well I did get my degree in nursing as planned. Squall, who I call Leon, proposed to me on our one year anniversary." Kairi held out her hand and her engagement ring seemed to slap me in the face with its taunting, magnificent glare.

I smiled politely as she brought her hand close to her again to adjust it. "Where's _Leon_?" I asked not sure if I was allowed to call him that.

She smiled. "Oh, he's just catching up on sleep at my parent's house. Long flight."

We sat in silence for a bit while we enjoyed our coffee. Neither of us looked at each other. I cleared my throat. "So who's in the wedding?"

Kairi looked me. I think she knew where I was going with this. "Well, I stayed in contact with Namine, Xion, and Selphie, so they're still in. Uh, I met this girl, Yuffie, in college, so she's my other bridesmaid."

"Are you happy?" I asked nervously.

"What?" I caught her off guard.

I couldn't look at her anymore without it hurting. "Are you happy?" I asked again, except slower.

"Yes, I'm happy." Her voice was soft. I looked up. She wasn't smiling, yet she wasn't frowning. There was no sense of feeling or emotion in her face.

"What happened?" My leg started to twitch again.

"I don't know." Kairi got up and sat a little closer to me. "Sora, I never wanted us to break up…"

"I didn't either." I replied.

"I didn't like how far away we were, but I never stopped loving you. I always talked about you like we never broke up. Seeing you now reassures my feelings, Sora." Kairi sighed, "but I'm getting married."

_But I'm getting married_… those words sunk into my soul deeper than any other words before. "Nothing really lasts forever apparently. I had to make a choice that was not mine. I had to say goodbye for the last time…" I said looking away. "It was what I had to do for us. It was what we needed. I didn't want us to break up either, Kai. I thought I would never see you again after I heard you had moved on."

"It wasn't easy Sora." Her hand found its way to my wrist- her voice was persistent. I looked up to meet her gorgeous purple-blue eyes. I felt my heart thump loudly in my head as I remembered all the reasons why I loved her so much.

I cleared my throat as I leaned in just enough to inhale her intoxicating scent once more. "Tell me it's over between us- I'll still love you the same. But I think I should be on my way. I'm not going to stop you from being with Leon."

"Sora…" I saw her swallow hard.

"I don't want to stop you from being happy." I smiled softly at her. "I'll always love you Kairi, but I know when I need to back down and let you do what you want to do."

Tears had built up in her eyes, threatening to fall. She put her hand against my cheek and smiled sadly. "I'll always love you too."

"You're the best person I have ever crossed paths with Kairi Hikiri, but I think your set path is with the person you're marrying." I took a deep breath in. "I think we were just wishing to marry each other and be happily ever after together… that's not what fate had in mind. I'll _always _be here when you need me, but I can't stand in your way either."

"I've never loved someone the way I've loved you." Kairi said with her hand on my knee. "No one can ever compare to you. I always hoped to marry you, but it seemed to fall apart too quickly as soon as we went our separate ways. I don't want this to be the end of us."

"I don't either Kai, not in a million years, and it won't be." I nodded as I brushed my fingers through the side of her hair. "We'll always be friends, but I don't want temptations ruining your chance to marry the man of your dreams."

She just looked down as the tears trickled down onto her hands. "Part of me just wants to call it all off and to run away with you but the other part of me is… happy… I can't do that to Leon."

I shook my head instantly. "Don't. As much as it really kills me to tell you to move on, I know you're better with Leon. I'm sure he'll take great care of you. I heard he's going to be a doctor?" She nodded slowly. "A nurse with a doctor," I laughed to myself at this slow process of insanity that was forming in my brain, "perfect."

"Yeah." She hummed to herself as she let a small smile appear for nearly a second. "_Perfect_."

"I better go." I said standing up. Truth was, I couldn't take it anymore. Seeing Kairi brought back every single memory I had with her instantly. She was the one I wanted with every part of my being and it was taking every ounce of me not to sweep her off her feet and tell her to be with me. I was her first friend, her first best friend, her first crush, her first kiss, her first love, I was even her _first time_… she was mine. I wanted to claim her so badly, but I couldn't do that. Riku was right- I had to let her be happy.

"What?" Kairi looked up at me with a shocked expression. "Please don't go."

"I have to." I said without looking at her. It would kill me to. "It was good seeing you again. See you at your wedding." My eyes averted to the floor as I began to head out the door into the warm summer sun. I stood at the entrance for a second to comprehend what has just happened before heading across the lot toward my car.

"Sora!" I turned around to see Kairi running out of Starbucks. She caught up to me and put her hand on my arm. Her eyes had a look of worry. "Please. Don't go…" I looked at her wondering what was going to happen between us.

x.o.x.o.x

**Author's Note**: So that's the first half of my double shot (smiles). Dramatic, no? Anywho, are you curious enough to see what happens?


	2. Chapter 2

**Still Love You The Same**- Double Shot

"Sora?" Riku said as I heard the door to the apartment close. A light flipped on in the living room and I sat up from the couch. He looked down at me. "What are you doing out here in the dark?"

"Kairi's in my room asleep." I said sleepily.

"What?" Riku's eyes grew big as he walked down the hall toward my room. He came back looking at me suspiciously. "Why is Kairi asleep in your bed?"

I stretched and looked at the clock to see it was nearly midnight. "Kairi and I were going through pictures and memories together in my room when she got tired."

"I thought you guys were just going out for coffee? I didn't think you'd bring her back to the apartment, Sora. Hasn't Squall called her or something?" He asked.

"Kairi called him before she fell asleep and let him know she was spending the night at Namine's." I looked at the floor.

"You two didn't do anything, right?"

"No, but trust me, I was tempted."

Riku sat down next me with a sigh. "What happened?" I began to fill Riku in on what happened the moment we saw each other to the trip back home. Kairi told me that she wanted to actually catch up. She followed me back to the apartment and we went into my room. We talked about everything from when we first met, up to where we were at the moment. We laughed, she cried, we hugged. I had even ended up waking up to realizing that Kairi was just inches from my face. She was fast asleep and it took all I could not to just kiss her. I did lay and admired her for a while until I realized I needed to leave before either of us- or more like me- did anything she would end up regretting. When I moved to leave, she woke up and asked me not to leave.

"Sora," she said quietly. "Please stay in the bed with me." I stared at her as she leaned closer to me. "This is probably the last time we'd get the chance. I just need to have you near by… please?"

I looked at her as I covered her with my comforter. "Just until you fall asleep. Riku would probably freak out if he found us in bed together when he knows you're about to get married." She let out a silent laugh before closing her eyes. I laid next to her again while I waited until I could hear her heavy breathes of a deep sleep before heading into the living room to fall asleep.

Riku sighed to himself. "I know I've been telling you that you need to keep your distance from Kairi, but by the sound of Kairi's urgency of still being around you… she's really happy with you."

I covered my face with my hands and lightly tugged at the ends of my hair. "God Riku, does this make me a bad person for wanting Kairi?"

"In what way?"

I looked at him through my fingers. "Well, obviously she's still as tempting as she was when we were in high school, but what I mean is that I still want her to be my girlfriend- my fiancée. I know I don't know this Leon guy, and it would really be an ass move to take her from him, but I want to!"

"Shh!" Riku said looking toward my room. "You're going to wake Kairi up. Well… let's just see how things go until the wedding." I looked at him with a crooked smile and a short nod.

The following morning, by the time I had woke up, Kairi was already gone. I looked at the coffee table to see her invite standing on top of a note. I rubbed my eyes before reaching for the note. I squinted until the writing came into view.

Sora, thank you for everything. I really loved spending this time with you. You are the greatest, seriously. I really hope you can attend my wedding next week. It would mean the world to me. Take care of yourself. Good luck with everything!

Love, Kairi

I dropped the note and rolled to my back, covering my face- suddenly feeling the pain of heartache all over again. How did this happen?

x.o.x.o.x

It was a few days after Kairi and I had spent time together for the first time in years. Neither Riku, nor myself had heard from her, but Namine had and she said she was spending some quality time with her family and Squall. I felt broken down and beaten.

Just when I thought it was the last time I was going to see Kairi before the wedding- I thought wrong. Riku and I decided to go out to dinner for a change, which I knew was him trying to cheer me up. As we sat down at the restaurant, I heard laughter from a few tables over that had fourteen people gathered around it. When we looked over, I saw Kairi laughing gleefully as she leaned into the arms of a laughing tall, dark haired guy who I assumed to be _him_. I couldn't help but stare.

Kairi was still laughing by the time her eyes met mine. Her laugh died down to a smile as Squall looked toward our table. I saw the official couple and they saw me. Riku quietly said, "you're okay, right?"

"Yeah." I lied. I wasn't okay. For the first time ever, I felt betrayed.

Squall waved his arm over toward us and that's when I saw the table turn to look. Namine, Selphie, Xion, Kairi's family, four guys, one girl, and two other people- who I was assuming to be Squall's parents stared at Riku and me.

"You want to go over there?" Riku asked. I shrugged before I followed his lead and walked toward the table. Kairi's mom jumped up from her seat as soon as she realized it was us.

"Sora, Riku!" Her arms wrapped around us anxiously. "I haven't seen you boys in forever. How have you been?"

"Good." Riku and I replied in unison.

"Oh good." She smiled sweetly. Her mom put her hand against my cheek and looked at just me for a second. She was so much like another mom to me. "Please, sit with us." Kairi's father pulled up two extra seats and placed them across the table from Kairi and Squall. I sat in front of Kairi and looked at her.

Her eyes looked back at Squall then back at me. "Sora, Riku, this is Leon."

"Nice to meet you." Riku said shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you too." Squall smiled and shook both his hand and mine. He had a firm presence about himself. He gave off the vibe of a strong, mature nature. I smiled nonchalantly. I could see what attracted Kairi to him- he seemed to have that mysteriousness about him which I knew she was interested in- at least when it came to movies or television shows.

"I've heard so much about you two." Squall continued. "Kairi's talked about you since the day we met." He looked down at Kairi and nudged her with his shoulder slightly. She smiled gently. "You three have been friends for years."

"Yeah." We replied in unison. Everyone was looking at us which made me feel uncomfortable even more than I already was.

Squall looked around. "Oh! I'm sorry. I should have introduced you to the table party." He gestured his hand at the head of the table. "This is my father," he then pointed to his side of the table, "my mother, Namine," he passed Kairi and himself, "Cloud, Irvine, Terra, you obviously know Kairi's father and mother, then Selphie, Xion," he passed Riku then me, "Yuffie and Zell." Obviously I knew half of them and they looked as if they felt some sort of guilt when they looked at me as they were introduced. I took in a deep breath.

"It's a pleasure to meet some of you and see some of you again." I replied coolly. Kairi's mom smiled not noticing my slight edginess.

"What's new with you two? How has life been?" She asked leaning in to get a better look at us. I smiled softly back at her as Riku and I began to explain what has changed since we last saw them. After some talking and feeling awkward, I thought I was finally going to be free from the torture of dinner with Kairi's wedding party.

"Tell us again how you and our soon to be daughter-in-law met?" Squall's mother leaned in as she looked at her son. My heart sank and my blood pressure rose. Apparently she didn't hear from our recent conversation that her soon to be daughter-in-law and myself had history. The people who knew us growing up looked a bit uncomfortable.

Squall cleared his throat, kind of sensing the tension change. "Mom, I don't think everyone wants to hear that right now." Even though this guy wasn't my favorite person in the world, I did respect him for that.

"Of course we do! I love hearing how my son and my lovely new daughter became this way!" I cringed a bit. This woman was torturing me. When no one replied to her, she continued on her marry way. "Well these two met on campus in their human anatomy class… and he leaned over to look at her notes. That's when Kairi…" I shut her out after that. Picturing any human anatomy knowledge going on with these two just wasn't my cup of tea. I saw Kairi look my way at the corner of her eye. I knew she sensed what I felt.

x.o.x.o.x

It took a lot for me to sit through everything during the dinner with Kairi's wedding party. The one that cut the cake was when they invited me to the wedding rehearsal the day before the actual wedding. Wasn't it enough to be invited to the wedding and the dinner that was never meant to happen?

I've always been close to my mom, especially when my father passed away when I was younger. She knew what Kairi meant to me and being pushed to the near edge is what pushed me to call her when I arrived home.

"Hi mom." I sighed when she answered. I walked into my bedroom and closed the door behind me.

"Hi honey!" She was always happy to talk to me. "How are you?"

"Eh, I've been better." I replied honestly.

"What happened dear?" She asked with that motherly concern wrapping around each word.

I sat on my bed and sighed. "Well, it's more like what didn't happen…" I began to explain what happened since I last talked to her about anything that involved Kairi and me. I told her that I received her invitation to her wedding with the man she was in love with, the meeting we had when she arrived in town, and the dinner date with everyone that I just arrived home from.

She cleared her throat before she said anything. "Sora, I'm not going to tell you what to do. I will give you advice, though," she paused for just a few seconds, "follow your heart. My own personal opinion would be to let your heart take action. If you feel that you need to be with Kairi- then do it. If you feel that Kairi and this Squall belong together- let it be. But Sora, please do one thing for me."

"What is it mom?"

"Be happy." I knew my mom was probably teary-eyed on the other end of the line, "I just want my son to be happy again."

I smiled softly. "I will, mom. Thank you."

"Anything for you."

"I love you." I said.

"I love you too, darling. Take care and keep me updated."

"Of course." We said our goodbyes soon after. I looked back at the picture of my high school graduation with Riku and Kairi. Things were different, but my mom was right- I needed to let my heart be the one to decide… I just wasn't sure what it was saying yet.

x.o.x.o.x

July 9, 2010 came sooner than I hoped. It was nearly four in the afternoon and Riku and I were getting ready to head to the wedding rehearsal. I was in my bathroom staring at my reflection when Riku knocked on the door. "Are you ready?" He asked.

I sighed opening the door, "yeah. I think so." Riku frowned slightly but led the way. It didn't take to long to arrive at the church they were getting married at. It was weird seeing it considering that I knew Kairi always wanted to get married on the beach. As soon as we parked, we walked in the church where her wedding party guests were waiting.

"Hey, Sora! Hey, Riku!" Roxas waved and walked over toward us.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Riku asked meeting him half way.

He smiled. "Well since Namine is in the wedding, they invited me to come along for the practice run." He looked at me and gave me a sympathetic smile.

"When does this thing start anyway?" I asked trying to ignore the awkward atmosphere.

"Any second." Roxas answered. "Let's take a seat." Riku and I followed Roxas to the second row of benches stretched across the large church. We sat down together while I looked around to see Kairi's mom and Squalls parents getting ready to be seated, along with other close family and friends of the wedding party. A minister was standing in front of the isle leading to the doors of the church with Squall waiting patiently. The doors flew open to reveal a woman with notepads and papers filling her arms. She looked frantic- she must be the wedding planer. The lady on organ began to play the traditional wedding song.

"Okay, this way our little flower girl!" She said waving a little girl with a basket down the isle after her. She looked a little terrified as she waddled down the isle. "Okay, ring bearer! You're turn sweetheart!" A little boy soon appeared with a pillow in his hand on the brink of tears. He hurried down the isle after the little girl. The wedding planner sighed. She waved her hand toward the doors for the rest of the wedding party to follow.

Namine walked out linked by the arm with Cloud, half way down the isle Xion and Terra followed, soon after Selphie and Irvine walked through the door, finishing off the trail was Yuffie and Zell. As soon as the brides maids and grooms men made it to the front of the church where we were waiting, the music changed to the traditional bride entrance. We all turned to look at Kairi walking in with her dad. She smiled sweetly as she made her way toward the front where Squall was waiting for her.

When she reached the front, they began. The minister smiled, "dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…" I zoned out. Every word began to blend with the next. All I could really recall from the time we were in the church was Kairi smiling at her dad as he took his seat, Kairi and Squall holding hands not looking at anyone but each other, and their kiss at the end. Everything else became a blur after that.

We all gathered in our cars and went to a hotel where the reception was going to be held afterward. After a small meal example of what was going to be made for tomorrow, I grabbed a small glass of wine and went out on the balcony. I leaned against the wall and stared at the twilight sky. It took a lot for me to drink but I knew I was doing it based on my decision coming up.

"Sora?" I turned around to see Riku walk out. "What are you doing out here?"

I swirled the wine in my glass and shrugged. "Just thinking about what to do."

He stood next to me. "What are you thinking?"

"I just keep picturing her up there with Squall, with that smile she has when she's really happy and I think I've made my decision." I sighed.

"Are you going to stop the wedding?"

I took in a deep breath and shook my head. "No. I'm going to let Kairi move on and as soon as the wedding is over- I'll be able to move on permanently." Riku reached over and sat his hand down on my shoulder.

x.o.x.o.x

"Come on Sora! We're going to be late!" Riku yelled from the living room. I studied myself in the mirror. I had spent a little extra time fixing myself up to at least save myself some pride by the end of this night. I looked to make sure my dark blue dress shirt was tucked in properly into my black slacks and that my hair wasn't too crazy.

"I'm coming." I said before catching one last glimpse at a picture of Kairi and me from high school. This was it.

Riku and I arrived to the wedding twenty minutes early. The church was already full of people waiting. We walked over to the brides side where we sat with Roxas last time. I looked around to see everyone talking excitedly. The wedding planner looked around admiring the special touches she added from yesterday.

The benches had white lily bouquets at the ends facing the isle. Red rose petals littered the floor. Lace linked together at the front end. Squall was dressed in a black tux with a red tie as he talked with family and friends with a smile on his face. It seemed to take forever for the twenty minutes to end.

Minutes before five, Kairi's mother made her way to the front of the isle. She sat in front of me and turned around. "Oh, Sora! I'm so glad to see you!" She leaned over with her arms stretched open.

I smiled and hugged her back. "I'm glad to see you too."

"Oh, Sora." Her hand gently traced my check with the palm of her hand. "I miss seeing your face around." She clamped her lips together as if she were to hold back some tears before turning around. Riku looked at me and I shrugged. The organ player tapped on her keys to gather our attention. The loud chatter immediately dimmed down to a low mutter as everyone turned to see the doors open. The music began to play and the flower girl, in a light pink dress, made her way down the isle as she tossed light pink rose petals out of her mini basket. The ring bearer boy was dressed in a tux and seemed more willing to walk behind her not too long after. Compared to yesterday, the order of the wedding party reversed themselves down the isle. Zell and Yuffie led the way down the isle in a black tux and light pink gowns. Selphie and Irvine, Xion and Terra, and Namine and Cloud finished off the entrance and made their way to the front where the minister and Squall were waiting. The music changed and everyone stood up. My heart began to beat rapidly as the I saw Kairi's father linked arm in arm with his daughter dressed in all white. Her dress was long like she had always wanted, and the veil was laced with mini crystals, along with her strapless dress.

They made their way down the isle and I could hear the other women admiring her. She looked gorgeous. I couldn't believe how beautiful someone could be. Kairi smiled at the people she passed and they smiled back emotionally. As she walked closer to the front, her eyes met mine. Her eyes that looked so bright and happy, looked remorseful as she kept her eyes on me until she reached the front. We all sat down and that's when my heart felt lost.

The minister began his speech. I couldn't help but ignore everything that was being said as I stared at the scene suddenly feeling anxious. "Who gives this woman in marriage to this man?"

Kairi's father spoke, "her family and friends gathered here today." They nodded and he took his seat. Squall and Kairi turned to each other. My heart began to beat rapidly. The minister began to speak some more and I noticed that I couldn't stand still.

"Are you okay?" Riku mouthed at me. I shook my head as my knee began to bounce apprehensively.

"Does anyone object to this unity of love?" The minister looked at the crowd and so did everyone else up there. My heart felt like it was screaming at me. He nodded and turned back to Squall and Kairi. He cleared his throat to begin.

"Wait!" I stood up. Everyone turned to look at me and it immediately fell silent. "I object!" Most people looked shocked and some even looked mad. Squall's mom looked like she wanted to tear my guts out. Roxas who was next to me, moved his legs over so I could walk out to the isle. I looked back at him and Riku and they smiled reassuringly. I walked a little closer to Kairi and Squall. Kairi looked at me in awe.

I cleared my throat. "I can't just stand by and watch this happen. I'm sorry, but I can't. Kairi, I told you that I would support you no matter what and that regardless of what happens, I'll be there for you. I mean it, but I want to actually be _with _you. I'm in love with you, Kairi. I always have been. I know people have told us to move on after we broke up but we've been through so much together. The thought of you not being in my life forever just doesn't seem right and maybe I'm just being selfish, but my heart is telling me not to let you go. I regret not spending all of my time with you."

I looked at Squall. "I'm sorry to ruin your wedding, but I can't just let you marry the woman of my dreams. You're a really great guy from what I've heard and seen. I just think that Kairi and I were meant to be. I know it makes me sound like a jack ass but when your heart tells you to do something- you just have to listen to it." My eyes shifted from Kairi to Squall.

Kairi looked from Squall to me. "Sora…" she put her hand on my cheek and smiled.

Squall cleared his throat with a smile. Kairi and I looked at him. "You're right Sora." I was a little taken back. "You should listen to your heart when it's telling you to do something. Kairi always talked about you when we first met. I felt like I knew you without meeting you. Then as soon as we arrived in town, I knew things had changed. Kairi was meant to be with you."

"And you're meant to be with Rinoa." Kairi said looking down. She slowly pulled off her ring and handed it to him. "This belongs to her."

"Who's Rinoa?" I asked.

"My ex girlfriend. We went through the same situation as you and Kairi. She went to a different college." Squall said. He looked at Kairi. "Kairi, what is your heart telling you?"

She looked nervous, but she smiled at me. "My heart is telling me to be with Sora."

Squall put his hands on her shoulders. "Then do it." She hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Squall."

"Of course." He said once she let go, he turned to me. "Good luck to you two."

"Thank you." I smiled reaching out to shake his hand. He smiled and shook mine. I turned to Kairi. "I love you, Kairi. I promise to always take care of you." I got down on one knee in front of everyone and reached into my pocket to pull out the ring I had bought for her after the first year of college. I opened the box and showed it to her. "Will you marry me?"

Suddenly our friends stood up to clap and cheer. Everyone who was supposed to be in our own wedding looked at us anxiously. Kairi bit her bottom lip excitedly. "Of course!" I stood up and she jumped into my arms. Everyone on Kairi's side of the church cheered and even some of Squall's side clapped.

"Congratulations." Squall smiled. I looked at Kairi, dipped her, and gave her that long awaited kiss that I had been dying to give her for years.

x.o.x.o.x

August 20, 2010 came at the perfect time. The weather was warm, the water was crystal clear, the sand was smooth- it was the perfect set up for a wedding- my wedding. Kairi's and my own family and friends were sitting in chairs that faced the ocean. We even invited Squall and his girlfriend, Rinoa, to our wedding. Riku, Roxas, Tidus, and Wakka wore dark blue suits with white dress shirts under them while Namine, Xion, Selphie, and Yuffie wore light purple strapless dresses. I stood at the front wearing a white suit with a dark blue tie while I waited for my future bride.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please stand up as the bride makes her way down the isle." The minister announced. Everyone stood up to see Kairi walking arm in arm with her father. Her dress was a long white, off the shoulder style. As soon as she reached me, we held hands. "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to join these two in holy matrimony."

I couldn't help but stare at Kairi as the minister continued on. She smiled at me and squeezed her hands into mine. We exchanged our vows and said our "I Do's" as we placed our rings on each other's fingers.

"With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The minister smiled, "you may now kiss your bride." I immediately put my hands behind her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. "Ladies and gentlemen, please stand welcome the new Mr. and Mrs. Sora Mizushima." Our friends began to clap and cheer as Kairi and I walked down the isle.

"I'm so glad I'm with you, Sora." Kairi said with a grin stretching from ear to ear.

"I'm glad I'm with you too, Kairi." I said pulling her into a routine kiss that I knew would never get old.

**x.o.x.o.x.o.x**

_You're never gonna be alone from this moment on_

_If you ever feel like letting go, I won't let you fall_

_You're never gonna be alone. I'll hold you until the hurt is gone._

_I'm gonna be there all the way_

_I won't be missing one more day_

**x.o.x.o.x.o.x**

**A/N**: finished! Yay! I thought it was cute. So what do you think? (oh by the way: sora's last name means water and or island).


End file.
